Rust Never Sleeps

Back when I was in college, there was this dude who would come into the bar I worked at on a Friday night and play fucking 10 Neil Young songs in a row. He would also hit on girls by doing magic tricks. I remember how angry I got every time he made me listen to an hour of Neil Young because I was just trying to have a good time, and he fucking made me listen to this sad, soppy fuck who writes nothing but songs that sound indistinguishable from each other and never seemed to enjoy a happy moment in his entire like. Fuck that guy, and fuck Neil Young. 2/5

Rust Never Sleeps continues to be a gem of an album, shining brightly for all to see how multi-faceted and lyrically expansive he can Crazy Horse can be. I am grateful to have seen them together at UIC years ago, and to see Neil solo a couple of times as well. Mr. Young goes down as one my fav artists of all time. At least one of his records should have been in our stereo console, but somehow my parents missed him along the way. Maybe a little too punk? Can't imagine them catching Sedan Delivery on this album and knowing what to do with it back then :)

Not my favorite Neil Young album, but fuck Joe Rogan.

“Rust Never Sleeps” by Neil Young & Crazy Horse (1979) I’m a big fan of Neil Young, but, interestingly, I’ve never listened to this album, primarily because when I was compiling my Neil Young collection in the late 1990s, I generally stayed away from live albums altogether. So this will be a serious listen with fresh ears. If you’re not already a fan of Neil Young, this album is probably not for you. I would suggest “After the Gold Rush” (1970), “Harvest” (1972), “Harvest Moon” (1992), and “Prairie Wind” (2005) instead. “Rust Never Sleeps” is a reminder that if you fail to pay attention to the encroachment of old age, decay will catch up with you. Neil Young was 33 years old when this album was released. Ha. Now he’s 75 and still rocking (and not in a chair). He’s neither burning out nor fading away. The songs on “Rust Never Sleeps” are ‘sandwiched’ between two versions of the same melody and lyrical theme (the acoustic “My My, Hey Hey” and the electric “Hey Hey, My My”). Message: Rock ‘n Roll endures (even if it’s purveyors don’t). Musically, the live acoustic tracks on “Side One” are quintessential Neil Young, whose acoustic guitar style is characterized by carrying melodies on the lower strings, with the higher strings provide color and chord structure. The electric tracks of “Side 2”, performed with Crazy Horse, haven’t aged well. Ironic, isn’t it? Young’s voice is not very good, especially live, but like Dylan and others, he puts his limited vocal talent to effective use in expressing his poetry. And his poetry is usually very good. The overall effect is like sitting around the campfire listening to a good friend do what he can with voice, guitar, and songs that are important to him. In a September 1980 Playboy interview, a famous rock star was asked, “What do you think of Neil Young’s line ‘It’s better to burn out than fade away”? His answer: “I hate it. It's better to fade away like an old soldier [ref. General Douglas MacArthur’s farewell speech to the U.S. Congress in 1951] than to burn out. If he was talking about burning out like Sid Vicious, forget it. I don't appreciate the worship of dead Sid Vicious or of dead James Dean or dead John Wayne. It's the same thing. Making Sid Vicious a hero, Jim Morrison—it's garbage to me.” That rock star was John Lennon, who was gunned down three months later. Young’s original 1979 lyric was part of a reflection on the rise of Johnny Rotten, with an oblique reference to the 1977 death of Elvis Presley. In April, 1994, Curt Cobain concluded his suicide note with “It’s better to burn out than fade away”. One lesson here is that lyrics can have a life (or death) of their own. They can transcend the expressive experience of the writer. Whether the sentiment of this line conforms with reality or not, it evokes serious consideration in an existential crisis. With songs of protest against injustice that would sound clunky to PETA (“Pocahontas”) and feminists (“Welfare Mothers”), Young seems to be departing that genre for the rock of the aged. On “Rust Never Sleeps”, he hasn’t yet arrived. A little disappointing, by still a good Neil Young album. 3/5

One of best rock albums.... EVER. A genius at his prime

"It's better to burn out than to fade way" is one of the opening lines of this album, and also its thesis. Side A is Young mourning everything - the death of Elvis, his separation from CSN, his feeling that punk rock was overtaking rock n roll - and it's all set to that familiar acoustic and harmonica set. For Side B, he invites Crazy Horse to join him, and it's almost as if he's trying to burn away the rust. There's a symmetry to this thing, almost a chiastic structure. The first and last tracks are the most obvious pieces of evidence for this, but there are other parallels (Pocahontas and Welfare Mothers, for example). The tight structure and evocative imagery is impressive enough, but hey, it also sounds great. What an album. Best track: My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)

Neil Young is an acquired taste, I admit, but the run of albums he put out from 1969 to 1979 rank among the most consistent and rewarding of any 70’s artist. Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Gold Rush, Harvest, Time Fades Away, On The Beach, Tonight’s the Night, Zuma…even “lesser” works like American Stars ‘n Bars and Comes A Time were not without career highlights. He was on an unstoppable roll and Rust Never Sleeps is culmination of that period, acting as a bit of a recap of that decades work, but also a glimpse of what was to take over the music world in another decade or so. Split between an acoustic side and an electric side (a fitting encapsulation of Young’s tendencies as a songwriter), Rust is bookended by acoustic and electric versions of the same song, the iconic “My, My, Hey, Hey” and “Hey, Hey, My, My”. The latter features some of the most fuzzed out, grungy riffs ever heard, a good 12 years before the phrase “grunge” hit the cultural zeitgeist. In between the “Hey’s” and “My’s” lie some of Neil Young’s greatest songs: “Thrasher”, the beautiful 12 string acoustic CSN diss-track; “Pocahontas”, a haunting and surreal tale of indigenous genocide, culminating in a meeting between Pocahontas and Marlon Brando at the Astrodome; “Powderfinger”, a dark horse (excuse the pun) candidate for best Neil Young and Crazy Horse song; and “Sedan Delivery”, a rave up alternating between fits of fuzzed out guitar and slower, but still fuzzy, guitar psych. It’s no wonder that Young and Crazy Horse took Sonic Youth on the road for the 1991 Weld tour. The hefty guitar crunch, feedback and guitar interplay on the second half of Rust Never Sleeps shows a shared DNA between the two acts: stylistically and in their uncompromising spirit and artistic visions. If I could travel through time for a concert, a Neil Young and Crazy Horse / Sonic Youth show is near the top of my list of stops. …and while I’m traversing the space-time continuum, my next stop will be 1979 to see the Rust Never Sleeps tour. Neil and the band are formidable here: a lumbering behemoth intent on pummeling anyone in their way. Until I can get my Delorean up to 88 miles per hour, Rust Never Sleeps (and Live Rust) will have to suffice.

I sigh whenever I read Neil Young's name on one of the albums on this list, because I think he is severely overrated. The problem is always the same. The song might start out well enough, but as soon as I hear Neil Young's whining singing voice, I just can't stand to listen any further. Apart from that, on this particular album, I don't care about any of the lyrics, and musically, the songs are nothing to write home about. Must be a 70s thing. Classic Young. 1.5/5

In which Neil reinvents himself as a punk (which doesn't take much beyond fuzz and volume--he's always been an irascible chap) while slipping in the most lyrical songs of his career. "Welfare mothers make better lovers" and "I searched out my companions / Who were lost in crystal canyons / When the aimless blade of science / Slashed the pearly gates" on the same album, with full commitment to the attitude of both? Masterpiece.

This is one of the greatest albums ever made. Let me tell you why in painstaking detail. First of all its fucking Neil Young, the mans the master and you should show some respect, he's been innovating and writing some of the best songs going for over 50 years now. As recently as 2019 I saw him blow Bob Dylan out of the water sharing a stage with him. The man is in his 70's and played for hours in sweltering heat, putting on a show which rocked so hard and was genuinely touching and funny in places without complaint or putting a foot wrong. That's dedication to your craft. Second of all My My, Hey Hey/Hey Hey, My My is one of the most satisfying suites of rock and roll ever made, what a sublime opener and closer. It sets out the mission statement for the acoustic/electric concept so incredibly well but even if one of those two tracks had been on any other album it would have been one of the highlights and he comes up with two variations on the idea that are equally as good as each other? wow. Also the Devo connection (this was written after Young's collaborations with the band, who subsequently did a typically angular version in Young's film Human Highway) gives it some extra mystique and appeal. Also, its better to burn out than to fade away... cmon. Then you get onto Thrasher. An often overlooked part of Neil Young's catalogue but I think its his best song. It feels like the ultimate expression of his love for and lamenting the loss of a certain period of Americana. I find this song so incredibly sad but beautiful and poignant, telling half made up stories and featuring references that you feel like you know from a dream but cant quite place. Its an wonderful rambling warning against globalization and to hold on to things you hold dear. Admittedly the next 3 songs were never going to be number one hits but each is written and executed with signature Neil Young enthusiasm. Then you get to Powderfinger, that first gently strummed electric chord lets you know that the record is going to change from here on. And it delivers, Young's falsetto warbling over the top of this wave of distortion is just so incredibly satisfying in a way that few vocalists have ever managed to pull off. In fact the distorted rhythm guitar tone throughout is night on perfect, its just so full of personality and doesn't cover up any of the detail in the playing while still sounding satisfyingly dirty and heavy. Welfare Mothers features such an amazing call and response chorus and some great guitar work and a brilliant solo which again has a brilliant tone and crucially doesn't outstay its welcome. And boom before you know it you are back at Hey Hey, My My which has one of the ganrliest distorted tones ever. What a record, I love it more every time I listen to it.

I just can't ever get into Neil Young's work. His voice just ruins everything.

3.7 - Impressive as a live recording. The sound mix and quality of performances make it sound like a proper studio album. Lead guitar parts come through powerfully with screaming distortion that gives a paranoid edge to some of the arrangements, especially on "Hey Hey..." Despite the myriad strengths, I think this album is better for diehard fans. Admittedly, I'm not familiar with most of the songs here, and some of them I didn't like on first listen (e.g. "Welfare Mothers", "Sedan Delivery"). Maybe this was one of the SEVEN Neil Young albums that could've been left off this list??

This does absolutely nothing for me. My breakfast gave me more emotional resonance.

Obviously

Totally captivated by the 1st half of this album- there's a rough, raw, nostalgic simplicity here, and I can smell the emotion.

Obra maestra absoluta y disco capital de la historia de la música. Reivindicación total de que el rock daba para más en plena época post punk y New Wave. La mitad acústica emociona y la eléctrica lo revienta todo. Grandes canciones. Maravilloso.

Neil Young. Unique voice, fantastic guitarist (good grief, am I ever so sick of decades of "he's not a great technical guitarist, blah blah blah" -- heaven forbid an artist play the instrument differently), and incredible writer who never stops creating and experimenting. One of a kind. Love him.

I will say that, even though I'm never excited to see yet another Neil Young title show up, I have loved all but one so far. I love the acoustic first side more than the amplified B side but the whole thing is very enjoyable. I'm not sure how many more we need but...

This is a darn good album. I really don’t think I’ve listened to the acoustic side previously Of course I know My My Hey Hey but don’t think I had heard Thrasher before and it’s a mighty fine song. The electric side I know inside out. Powderfinger, Sedan Delivery and HHMM Pt 2 are all classics. I always thought HHMM was released a few years after the Sex Pistols‘ only album (released Q4 1977) but am surprised to find out HHMM was recorded in 1978. I can’t imagine Neil Young fans during that tour having a fucking clue who Johnny Rotten was. There are already at least 2 Neil LPs that I know I’ll be giving 5s to. This wasn’t on that list. It made a valiant effort to elbow its way on but I’m holding my ground.

I didn't realize how grungy Neil Young could sound. He must have had a pretty heavy influence on the '90s.

There are some absolute monster jams on this album. It comes right out the gate with a beast of a song (My My, Hey Hey). But it's also Neil Young so there's a lot of whiney navel-gazing and jingle-jangle acoustic guitar which isn't my favorite. The second half of the album is better IMO. It's the "electric" side of the album (remember when albums had 'sides'?) and it has a lot more guts. While the first half is clearly influenced by country music, the second has more of a proto-punk feel that I'm into. Paticularly "Sedan Delivery" is an unsung deep cut for ol' Neil and is so DAMN good this 'Bama boy can almost forgive him for "puttin' her down" because of this one track.

Alors que cet album démarrait sur les chapeaux de roues, avec un Neil Young extrêmement touchant, nous transportant à l'aide de sa seule voix et de ses instruments, la suite nous a tous laissé sans voix. Mais laissez moi vous expliquer ce qu'il s'est passé. Tout d'abord, il faut savoir que cet album a été enregistré en live dans une petite salle de concert de Nashville. Cette salle de concert présente une particularité, c'est qu'elle est située en pleine campagne, loin de toute civilisation. Alors que tout le monde s'installe dans la salle, se réjouissant d'entendre Neil Young les bercer de sa voix, un homme va commettre une erreur. Cet homme, c'est l'intendant de la salle de concert de Nashville. Ce dernier avait été mis au courant: il faut absolument que tu fermes à double tour la porte menant vers l'exterieur de la salle de concert. Pourtant, équipé de son crayon à papier dissimulé derrière son oreille, il oubliera ce détail qui lui semblait futile, et laissa la porte entrouverte. Après une dizaine de minutes de concert, c'est la que le drame se produit: une horde de chevaux sauvages fit irruption sur la scène au galot, détruisant tout sur son passage. Le bruit des sabots frappant le parquet de la scène camoufle complétement la voix de Neil Young, ainsi que les différents "Huuuuuuh" jetés ici et là par ces chevaux absoluments déchaînés. C'est dans cette panique la plus totale que les 20 dernières minutes de l'enregistrement se dérouleront, laissant un arrière goût amer à cet album, qui démarrait comme expliqué de fort belle manière.

Neil Young est quand même bien meilleur sans sa bouteille de tequila dans les parages. Les premiers sons acoustiques de Rust Never Sleeps sont tout bonnement excellents mais leur dynamique sera gâchée par l'arrivée des Crazy Horse qui passeront leur temps à hennir et déféquer sur scène. On aurait préféré une meilleure fin.

This album boasts one of the worst lyrics ever: "It's better to burn out 'cause rust never sleeps." Dull, dull, dull music. Arrangements consist of just strummed guitars--no art or nuance involved whatsoever. Oh, okay, now this is a little better. Ride My Llama at least has some halfway interesting rhythms and chord progressions. Actually, some of these songs aren't bad--there are some decent melodic hooks. The album actually gets better as it goes along. The first two songs were the pits. Neil Young's lead guitar playing on Powderfinger is atrocious. He's totally unconvincing as a rocker. Crazy Horse reveals itself to be a deeply mediocre backing band. 2 stars out of 5 and that's being generous.

Well I think I preferred this to previous NY and crazy horse albums but I did again find it a bit samey. Nothing stood out and just felt like tedious dad rock by the end

Никто не сказал, что альбом состоит из одной песни

My My Hey Hey!

classic. real good vibes. on da playlist

An absolute killer.

Perfect.

Neil is cool every now and then.

I liked it very much

No es mi favorito del tito pero si es top. Me gusta más su primera parte acústica con esas 3 joyas iniciales, pero la eléctrica con Sedan Delivery tampoco baja el nivel.

Great

Muito bom, bem melhor q o anterior. Ganhou pontos adicionais por ser um ao vivo bem executado.

So schön, konnte man gut hören an einem verregneten Samstag

В начале был немного скептично настроен, мол очередной батя-рок. Но альбом то отличный. Довольно оригинальный, искренний, мелодичный и местами залипательный. Места эти - первый и последний треки, но остальное вполне держит планку. Разве что Welfare Mothers не зашла. Наверное, рад, что акустическая половина альбома вышла больше, звучит удачнее. В целом звук очень располагает, партии довольно лаконичные, внятные, каждая на своём месте. Более всего внимания притягивает всё же вокал, яркий и честный, хз, чё там Нил Янг про Джонни Роттена заливает, но я ему верю. Невольно вспоминается эпитет "true", вот он здесь прям уместен. Балдёж.

Absolutely magical. The opening and closing tracks in particular are mind-blowing!

Very good Album

Love this album. Acoustic first half and rock 2nd half. Though I would not like the rock songs but actually really enjoyed them. Must investigate Neil Young further.

Great, both first and last tracks amazing.

This is an excellent album, full of classic Neil Young, utilizing both the softer and grittier aspects of his sound. I think the mixture of live and studio tracks is unexpected and gives you a really full feeling of what Young was all about better than any studio album could. You can feel Young's style evolve into something edgier and rowdier as the album progresses, the stuff that made him such a touchstone for alternative musicians who would follow. Fave songs: My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue), Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), Thrasher, Sail Away

I have this on vinyl, love it.

First songs were amazing. Really loved this album, Neil Young is an amazing composer, I´m really trying to going more deep into his music and discography.

I like the acoustic vs electric set format, especially when applied to the bookends. I love the nod to punk and the punky feel of songs, especially Sedan Delivery, like he’s saying, I’ve been playing this stuff all along and don’t plan to slow down. I love his idea of capturing these songs live without overdubs and remixes and studio BS. I think Powederfinger is my favourite Neil Young song. I can never listen to it just once. Such heavy lyrics.

Real good, yep

Much, much, MUCH more of this please. Neil Young's solo stuff (at least on this list) has been a bit more hit and miss for me, but any time Crazy Horse is in the mix it is a great time. Hard to pick a favorite track.

Great live album. Energetic. Hear the Godfather of Grunge.

Yes. And yes again.

Perfekte Mischung aus den singer Songwriting und den Grunge rock Ansätzen von Neil Young . Wahnsinnig viele wahnsinnig gute lieder

"It's better to burn out than to fade away"

Classic, beautiful, Neil

I've seen Neil Young live a couple of times so obvs I at least appreciate his music. I've never listened to this album before though. It's great

I don't typically like live albums but this one is an exception. I suppose it's technically a hybrid of live recordings and studio overdubs, which is maybe what makes the difference for me. Neil is so emotive, whether it's on a delicate ballad or a sing-along rocker. Great performances here. I find "Thrasher" to be especially moving. I consider this his last truly great 5 star album before he fell into the morass of the 80s. Like so many other musicians that came up in the 60s and 70s, he had a hard time adjusting.

that was actually a really sweet, short album I really liked that, 10/10 I can usually be pretty harsh on this country stuff but it was actually done really well here great album

Neil Young and the various incarnations of Crazy Horse had been playing together for more than a decade, but this is certainly one of the best expressions of the musical simpatico that these musicians have with each other. A less noisy affair than many other NY & CH efforts, it's no less powerful in the ease with which these tunes are rendered. "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" addresses the rise of punk in the late 70s, and its sound is closely associated with what most fans think of as the sound of the lineup. Ruse Never Sleeps, indeed.

Amei <3 Muito gostosinho de ouvir, porém não tem mais no spotify!

Countless reverent plusses in this album. I love the bookended first and last tracks, and have always like the track ‘Powderfinger’

Neil Young can outwrite, outsing, outplay, outthink, outfeel anyone in my mind. This album was,is and will always be stunning. Dividing the record into half acoustic/half electric is marvellous. From "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" (repeated in an electric version at the album's end as "Hey Hey, My My [Into the Black]" with its altered lyrics, and everything in-between this is just an album of substance and the work of a man at the top of his game.

Very cool old school feeling.

The lyrics are very thought through, and there is a good balance between acoustic songs and ones with electric guitars.

A classic rock triumph.

Why did I have to like Neil Young as soon as he puts his music off Spotify (which I understand his argument but free music under a parent account is a bit hard to justify ditching). At least it's on YouTube. Feel like this album and other works of his would be perfect for my ever-growing vinyl collection. Its a pretty flawless album with Powderfinger, Sail Away, and the opening and closing tracks (variations of Hey Hey, My My) being my highlights. The only track I didn't overly like was Sedan Delivery. Also appreciate how its split with an acoustic first half and an electric second.

guay

One of Neil Young's top three best albums I reckon.

I still think Neil Young projects may be over represented, but this definitely feels worthy, interesting live new material, change in his style, rockin and rad. Five stars easy.

Haven’t listened to this in years - great revisit

Peak Neil & Crazy Horse. So many classic songs on here. Powderfinger is one for the ages.

Loved this. I’ve been a fan of Neil You g for a while, but I’m a bit wary of live albums as I think sometimes you just had to be there. Anyway, turns out that I’m an idiot, because this is great.

Perfect rock, great source of inspiration for later songs

sonzao

5 The best way to know Neil and his Crazy Horse: tiny and trembling voice, long instrumental jams, unforgettable lyrics: \"Better to burn out than to fade away\". The sleepy riff in \"Powderfinger\" isnone of the highlights in the whole rock n'roll history; Simply perfect.

Every damned note

Did not listen because not on spotify. I have heard this album before ND love it

Really enjoyed this

Forgot how good an album this is. Some of Neil’s best work.

Helt der oppe! Oppveksten til Lars Magnus

Great

Pretty safe 5 star album and one I've listened to lots and lots. Not only is every track an absolute banger it's got some of his very best lyrics. Weakest track, Welfare Mothers, is still absolutely great.

Hey hey my my what a fantastic album!

Loved this

Love the harmonica and the live sound. Neil young’s voice is great and unique. Although it’s much more country than I’d normally listed to, I Added the whole thing to my library.

Saw this tour live. This was a killer album

Uh, this was amazing

Rust Never Sleeps might be might my favorite Neil Young Album. Lyrically and musically it certainly is one of his best. I also like how he split the album up into an acoustic and electric side like the live tour that some of the material came from. Each song tells such a good story lyrically that you can almost picture it as you’re listening to it. I'm going to finish this review here and then listen to it again!

I keep changing my opinion on Neil, and upping my admiration. This is a damn good album. The opener and closer (My My, Hey Hey or vice versa) are some of the best lyrics he's ever written and that's saying a lot because he's an incredible lyricist. Hearing both acoustic and electric versions was very cool. I quite enjoyed that dichotomy on this album. The lyrics on the rest of the album were sometimes very poignant or clever entendre-y (Thrashers, Powderfinger) and then sometimes super strange (Pocahontas, Welfare Mothers). He's trying to tell deep stories but wrapped up in simple contexts. I guess it works sometimes and at other times it sounds a bit weird. Still, I can give that a pass because of the musical depth on display. The acoustic side captures his sad, sullen style so well - real heart-tugging. The electric side shows he and Crazy Horse could play and bring the energy - the boogie in Welfare Mothers is awesome (my favorite track musically) even if the lyrics are head scratching and Sedan Delivery sounds like it could've inspired Soundgarden (think Rusty Cage). Real impressed with this album.

The king is gone, but he's not forgotten. It's interesting how he uses this format of acoustic and abrasive electric again on only a few albums. The other one that comes to mind is one of my favorites, "Freedom." The album has a number of tracks I knew from other places, but it's nice to hear them here, too. "Pocahontas" will always be that acoustic song. I don't think it works electric, for example. The only song that I was never a big fan of is "Welfare Mothers." But it's just because the chorus is sung over and over and over WAY too many times, so it gets a little grating. The idea of seeing the multiple sides of Neil is something that probable could be done more often, but I'm glad he uses it sparingly, so that when he does use it, it's pretty damn effective. Probably one of his best. He's in damn fine form here.

Neil Young! Man, that guy could sing “Happy Talk “and his voice would cut me to the quick. I love everything about this, the voice, the guitars, the harmonica, the songwriting. Beautiful! My, My, Hey,Hey! Yeah Yeah!!

Great stuff

AMAZING! 5/5 90/100

Classic Neil Young!

I'm not sure which I prefer - this or Live Rust - either way, both worthy of at the very least 5 stars!

I don't think it was really my first exposure to Neil, but this was the first album I owned. Neil being Neil. Introducing some of his best songs through the live setting. Showing off his acoustic chops and being influenced by the punk movement of the day. Great song writing, great playing, great singing, great heart.

Rust Never Sleeps was my introduction to Neil Young after my dad decided to pick up the record one day when we were out browsing. His voice took some getting used to, but yeah, I really dig this album now! favs: “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)”, “Thrasher”, “Welfare Mothers”, “Ride My Llama” least fav: “Sedan Delivery”

Everything great about Neil in one succinct album. Gentle acoustic songs combined with full out rockers. Thrasher is a personal favorite, one of those great long form Neil songs that you can just get lost in lyrically and musically. "It's better to burn out than to fade away". The older I get the more I disagree with this particular sentiment. Better for who? Certainly not for those that burned out. I don't mean that to come across as crass or insensitive, what I mean is that its better to remain 'forever young' from a marketing perspective but thats about it. As I've said in other places one of the things I love about Neil is catching up with his later albums when my life hits the marker his was at when he made it and it speaks to you that much more. To remain viable as an artist - or keep the rust from forming since 'Rust Never Sleeps' - takes a lot more work and makes for a much more interesting and satisfying journey.

One of my favorite albums from one of my all time favs.

Has some of the most moving folk songs Neil Young has ever ever written--"Thrasher", "Pocahontas", "Ride My Llama" and "Sail Away", all gathered on the first side. Plus, the symmetrical structure of the album--folk numbers on side one, rock'n'roll tracks on side two, with the stellar cut "Powderfinger" transitioning between the two--makes this LP a very interesting listen. Of course, said "rockers" on side two might sound a little awkward to more modern ears today. Yet I guess that sort of clumsiness is now part of the charm of Crazy Horse anyway. As many reviewers have already pointed out, Young's bandmates have never been the best musicians in the world, but their straightforward, no-nonsense way to perform his livelier songs bring out what's so idiosyncratic about them. Those rock tracks wear their hearts on their sleeve, in a way. And that's a quality that many supposedly more accomplished musicians sometimes never reach during their careers. Finally, the two versions of "My My, Hey Hey" /"Hey Hey, My My" opening and closing the proceedings on this LP effortlessly display stuff that only rock legends are capable of. It's an infectious earworm, here transcended by the subject matter of its lyrics: it's possible to get old and show empathy for the next generation--all you need is to put yourself in their shoes. Plus, the guitar riff on the electrical version is just *huge*, paving the way for many other indie and "alternative" wonders to come. Released right after punk rock took over the world, *Rust Never Sleeps* is also a historical document to understand the cultural conversation that was going on at the time--one that could actually be translated to more subsequent generations and their own concerns. By itself, it's not a punk album. But it gives an external point of view on the whole thing. It's a point of view that's a little naive, I'll grant you that. Yet it's one that's beautiful, sensitive and a little provocative as well. Speaking of other generations... Yeah, fuck Joe Rogan. The latter only represents a sad pack of reactionary mindfucks that clearly are in the minority in younger populations, as "vocal" as those poor sods supposedly are online. History will not judge those goons well, you can bet your cowboys boots on that. Obviously, Neil Young has become a cantakerous grumbler himself in his old age (many old folks do, after all), and the way he opposed Rogan during that whole Spotify showdown thing was relatively naive as well (not to mention *limited* in its assessment of the whole debate around streaming apps every serious music fan should have right now). Yet I can only applaud Neil for bringing to the fore how greedy and cynical the Spotify executives were, and trying to do something about it at least. It was a matter of "principle". And I'm glad he stood by it until the end. Going back to *Rust Never Sleeps*, it's not the "best" solo record Young has ever released (this title should go to either *Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere*, *After The Gold Rush* or *Harvest*). But it still ticks all the boxes of what a truly "essential" album is Artistic concept, execution/performance, songwriting, melodies, lyrics, cultural impact... It's an unmitigated success in each of those areas. 4.5/5, here rounded up to 5. Number of albums left to review: 593 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 194 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 91 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 122

Rife with memories of a time of my life where I was young and living for the night. This album reminded me to carpe diem and get everything out of every day. I still do that. This was one of the albums I took to Colorado one summer very much left to my own devices on a farm near the foothills of the Brazos as a kid with a Walkman. I know every strum of it and I love it. It's hard to revisit in a way because of all the days now gone. I like all the songs, but Sail Away has a lot of meaning to me. I met Neil Young years later once out on a hike in Colorado. I had been out in the wilderness for several weeks and was nearing a town and found him alone in the woods smoking a hand rolled cigarette and wearing a porcupine quill necklace on a blanket. I hadn't smoked in weeks. I asked him if I could have a cigarette and he looked me dead in the eye and said flatly. "Nope." I turned around to walk away and I heard a little giggle and he said, "But you can have two." He gave me a light and I thanked him and walked off. My friends were freaking out and I had not recognized him and they were all like, dude do you know what that was?!! One of the more memorable moments of my life in retrospect. I've seen him live quite a few times. Lifetime fan of one of the greatest living American musicians.

I'm not a huge Neil fan but this is his best and it rocks. Also, he's a great person.

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